100 Theme Challenge 1 Introduction
by hummerhouse
Summary: Written as part of the 100 Theme Challenge on deviantArt. I'm trying my hand at the 2k12 series and have taken some liberties with Casey Jones since his character has not yet been introduced. This is based on my newest ship - Don loves April who has a crush on Casey who has the hots for Don. Triangle ahoy! Ratings per part vary but nothing hard core, mostly fluff and angst.
1. 1 Introduction

100 Theme Challenge  
1. Introduction

Donatello was pretty sure that he was meeting his first true maniac.

From the way Raph's eyes lit up at seeing the older boy's getup, Don deduced that his hot headed brother had found a kindred spirit. Leo did not look as pleased; his silent contemplation of the youth was cautious at best.

Mikey flitted around their new acquaintance like a hummingbird, questioning and touching, pushing and poking. Somehow the annoyed look on the human's face at the youngest turtle's antics was very satisfying to Don.

In fact, their introduction to Casey Jones was met in characteristic fashion by each of the brothers with the exception of Donatello. He should have been curious and inquisitive, but instead Don was distrustful and wary.

Attempting to analyze his reactions to the stranger, Don had to admit that it was the way they were meeting the boy that had raised his hackles.

It wasn't just that Jones was a vigilante, or that he had an outspoken view on mutants, or that he was a bit crude. Don understood that he was what humans considered a 'bad boy'.

The problem was the look on April's face as she introduced Jones to them. How her eyes glittered when she'd told them he'd rescued her from Mutagen Man. That the entire time they were talking to Jones, April couldn't seem to stop staring at him.

Donatello had rescued April plenty of times and from much more dangerous situations than the ones she'd faced with Jones. Yet she'd never looked at Don with such a sickeningly gooey expression, at least not when she was fully conscious.

The word 'jealousy' popped into the genius' head and though he hated to think he was capable of such a distasteful emotion, it seemed the most apt under the circumstances.

Oddly enough, though April seemed pie-eyed around the youth, Jones didn't seem to return that attention. That should have made Don feel a little better about the situation, but it wasn't that easy to discard his suspicions.

While Don would have preferred to remain in the background and study this new state of affairs another peculiar thing was taking place. Jones seemed to be going out of his way to interact with the purple banded turtle.

Parked behind them sat the Shellraiser, driven by the Turtles when they came out of the tunnels to locate April. Stroking his hands along its sides, Jones had asked who their mechanic was, at which time Leo had proudly informed him that was Don. Since then the boy with the dirty face and gargantuan attitude couldn't seem to leave the genius alone.

It was a very odd state of affairs indeed.


	2. 2 Love

100 Theme Challenge  
2. Love

From the corner of his eye, Donatello watched as April worked with his father to perfect her skill with the tessen. He loved the way she moved, even when she faltered, or when April occasionally got her legs tangled and fell. Her tenacity in picking herself back up and trying again caused the butterflies in his stomach to flutter.

Then again, pretty much everything the pretty sixteen year old red head did made Don a little weak in the knees. Despite the teasing from his brothers, Don was in love for the first and hopefully the last time in his life.

His reverie was broken by the whooping sound made by two miscreants as they leaped the turnstiles and entered the lair. Raphael and Casey Jones pushed and shoved each other as their voices dropped suddenly, each casting guilty looks in Master Splinter's direction.

Rolling his eyes, Don could only imagine the mischief they'd gotten into. Raph had always had a bit of a rebellious streak and the new kid just seemed to feed it. Heading topside alone to meet up with Casey and do who knew what brought a frown to Master Splinter's face, but it infuriated Leonardo.

At the moment, the turtle leader was glaring at Raph from where he sat in front of the television set. That glare had nothing to do with the sudden influx of noise from the pair of trouble makers; it was solely an effort to remind Raph that Leo was not pleased.

It might have worked if Raph had been paying attention to him but he wasn't. Head close to Casey's, Raph was busy sharing what appeared to be some type of inside joke. Casey's grin made it obvious that the youth found it to be highly amusing.

Don glanced over at April when he heard his father speak sharply to her. To Don's dismay, April's attention was no longer on her lesson, but instead on the boy dressed in black. Color rising in her cheeks, April muttered a quick apology and returned to her tessenjutsu. Master Splinter's eyes narrowed in disapproval as they moved from the novice kunoichi to the source of her wandering eyes.

"Raphael!" Master Splinter called sharply. "You are disrupting our lesson."

Raph looked up quickly and had the decency to appear chagrined. "Sorry sensei," he said contritely.

With his attention diverted, Casey's eyes drifted around the lair until they fell on Donatello, seated on the couch with his laptop open on his knee. Swiftly bounding across the intervening space, the older boy plopped down next to Don, draping an arm across the back of the couch and leaning far into the turtle's personal space.

"What ya' workin' on Don?" Casey asked, his eyes going from the screen to Don's face in the space of a second.

Disconcerted by the sudden intrusion, Don spluttered, "I'm redesigning some of the features on the patrol buggy."

"Cool," Casey said, settling further into the cushions. "Love ta hear about it."

Don cleared his throat and looked back down at his screen, but not before catching a glimpse of Raph's angry scowl as he stood with his arms folded across his plastron.

Life was starting to get downright complicated.


	3. 3 Light

100 Theme Challenge  
3. Light

Don woke with a start and looked around the room at his sleeping brothers. Even though they each had their own spaces, they'd once again all dozed off in front of the television. Don knew he slept more soundly with the knowledge that his siblings were nearby and figured it was probably the same for them as well.

He was about to turn over and get comfortable again when a light from the kitchen drew his attention. Don heard a faint sound and decided that must have been what woke him up.

Glancing towards Master Splinter's room, Don decided it wasn't his father because the shoji was closed. Rising silently, Don walked quietly to the kitchen door and looked inside.

April stood at the center table, a large mixing bowl in front of her, the contents of which she was busily stirring. Several baking pans lined the table nearby, and dirty dishes were piled in the sink.

"Hey April," Don said in a soft voice.

Startled, April jumped and nearly dropped the bowl. Don was across the kitchen in a flash, his hand catching the edge of the bowl and steadying it.

"You scared me half to death," April scolded lightly.

"Sorry," Don said contritely. His eyes fell on a spot of flour adhering to her cheek and he was instantly mesmerized, wondering if he had the courage to wipe it off.

April tugged at the bowl trying to get him to relinquish his hold and finally said, "Let go, Donnie."

"Hmm, what?" Don looked down and realized what April was asking. Embarrassed, he let go of the bowl and took a step back.

"So, what are you making?" Don asked.

"Double chocolate crisp cookies," April said. "I couldn't sleep and I felt like my hands needed to be busy."

"Double chocolate," Don said dreamily. "I like chocolate, it's my favorite."

"Casey's too," April said, her eyes on the baking pans as she dropped spoonful's of dough onto them. Her cheeks colored slightly but she didn't look up. "At least, I heard him telling Raph that he likes chocolate cookies."

"You're making them for Casey?" Don asked, his voice spiking just a little when he said the other boy's name.

April did look up then, saying quickly, "I'm making them for everyone. I just thought if I was going to bake, I might as well bake something I knew would be eaten."

"That's really nice of you," Don said, offering her a smile.

"Well, you guys don't really have much in the way of snacks," April said with a shrug. "I figured if Casey's going to hang out here, there should be some food a boy his age would like."

Don nodded, feeling his stomach flop over on itself. As far as he was concerned, Casey Jones was hanging out with them much too often as it was. It was bad enough that the youth had begun to make a nuisance of himself while Don was working, but now April was baking the guy cookies.

The love struck turtle also couldn't help but notice the light in April's eyes whenever she talked about the boy.

As April pushed the pans into the oven, Don wondered how sick he would get if he ate all of the cookies by himself.


	4. 4 Dark

100 Theme Challenge  
4. Dark

"So~o, you and April," Casey began.

Don stiffened. "What about April and I?" he asked.

"She keeps coming in and looking over here," Casey said. "You two got something going?"

The pair were in the space where Don stored the Shellraiser, the patrol buggy, Raph's Stealth Bike, and the Turtle Flyers, or what was left of them. Don had been sorting out the parts so that he could put them back together when Casey had popped in and offered to help.

Since Raph was occupied with Master Splinter in yet another lesson regarding his anger issues, Don figured Casey was bored and would leave him alone when Raph was free. That had been two hours ago and Don was starting to wonder if Raph even knew Casey was in their home.

"April and I are _close_ friends," Don said, emphasizing close in the hopes Casey would get the hint.

"Friends huh? That's cool; I just kinda wanted to get it all placed in my head, ya' know?" Casey asked rhetorically.

"Hand me that wrench, please," Don requested politely, though he was starting to feel far from nice.

"Here ya' go Don," Casey said, placing the wrench in Don's outstretched palm.

The tips of Casey's fingers ghosted across Don's hand, tickling the skin. Pulling his hand away quickly, Don tried to focus on his work, but he could feel Casey's eyes practically boring into him.

Don wondered how much trouble he'd be in if he hit Casey with the wrench. He was pretty sure he could make it look like an accident.

As much as he didn't want to ask, Don couldn't help himself. A kind of dark dread was settling into his chest, making his heart race uncomfortably, and he just needed answers.

"Why did you want to know?" Don asked, looking up at the youth.

"Well, uh," Casey began, looking uncomfortable for the first time. "She's a pretty girl I guess and I figured . . . ."

"How long have you been here?" Raph asked loudly, making both Don and Casey jump.

The dark look on Raph's face was a pretty good indication there was a storm brewing behind the turtle's red mask. So much for Raph's attitude adjustment hour with Master Splinter.

"There ya' are pal," Casey said, quickly walking away from Don. "I saw you was with Master Splinter, so I decided to help Don here put his flying thingies back together while I was waiting on ya'."

"Helping Donnie were you?" Raph asked, snapping a dirty look in Don's direction. "I got the go ahead to go topside if you still want to do a quick patrol."

"Yeah, sure. Lemme grab my things and we'll head out," Casey said.

Trotting over to the table where he'd dropped his gear, Casey began strapping his pads and weapons into place. Don turned away from them, trying to concentrate on his project, glad to finally be rid of Casey.

A moment later a rough hand landed on his shoulder and when Don spun around he came face to face with Raph.

"We're gonna have a talk later," Raph said in a low and not too pleasant voice.

Before Don could say anything, Casey called, "Well come on while it's still dark outside."

Don stared at their retreating forms as the pair strode out. Casey Jones was turning out to be bad luck all the way around.


	5. 5 Seeking Solace

100 Theme Challenge  
5. Seeking Solace

Don dragged his feet as he made his way into the kitchen. Plunking down on a chair, he put his elbows on the table and then rested his chin in his hands.

He was tired and wanted to go to bed but was afraid his brain wouldn't shut off long enough to let him sleep. The thought of joining Mikey on the couch as his little brother watched television was inviting; the mindless programs Mikey enjoyed usually knocked Don right out.

The only problem was that Don didn't really want to be sitting in the middle of the lair when Raph came back from his outing with Casey. Don wasn't sure what had crawled into Raph's shell lately, but he seemed intent to take it out on his purple banded brother.

Don's eyes were closed as he tried to figure out what he'd done to earn Raph's wrath. While in that position, a hot, pepperoni scented breath wafted across his skin suddenly and his eyes snapped open.

Mikey was inches from his face, a big mischievous smile etching his lips.

"Whatever you were thinking about doing to me, you'd better not," Don said in an irritable voice. "I am not asleep."

"I'm hurt that you could think I'd do something like that while you're vulnerable," Mikey said, quickly shoving the permanent marker he held back into his belt.

"Then what do you want?" Don asked, not missing the movement.

"Just wanted to check on my bro'," Mikey said as he sat down. "You look like a zombie dude. You should go to bed."

"I know that," Don told him. "I can't sleep."

"'Cause you're thinking about April?" Mikey said with a lightly teasing lilt.

"No," Don said sharply. "I just have . . . other things on my mind."

"Yeah, like April," Mikey said with a grin, which he quickly erased at the expression on Don's face. "Seriously bro', what's wrong? Maybe I can help."

Don spent a moment contemplating whether he should talk to him. Mikey could be a real goof most of the time, but he noticed things. In fact, he could be a major snoop and that was a trait Don might be able to put to good use.

"What the heck is wrong with Raph?" Don finally blurted out. "He's all over my shell all of a sudden."

Mikey looked at him pityingly. "Dude, human friends are hard to come by, I should know. Maybe he just doesn't want to share Casey with you."

"He doesn't have to," Don said, frowning. "I am not encouraging Casey to hang around here."

"Are you sure Donnie? Are you really sure?" Mikey asked.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Don asked in a dangerous voice. "The guy is always under my feet. I can't work without turning around and nearly tripping over him. He's driving me nuts."

"I see what you mean," Mikey said with a semi-serious expression. "That extra set of hands always willing to do whatever you ask, the constant string of compliments on how smart you are, the fact that April hangs out with you more when Casey's around, yeah, that's totally annoying."

Don glared at him but Mikey just grinned, completely unscathed. Finally giving up, Don ran a hand across his face.

"So what should I do about it, short of locking myself in my room?" Don asked.

"Don't do that bro'," Mikey said. "That would clear the playing field for April and you _don't_ want her scoring a touchdown."

"Casey," Don said. "You meant clear the field for Casey."

The look on Mikey's face was enigmatic. "I said it exactly right Donnie. You just need to think about it."

Don's next question was interrupted by the sound of Raph's voice. He stiffened noticeably and Mikey reached over to pat his arm.

"Go get some sleep, dude. You're safe from Raph tonight; Leo's been sitting in the dark waiting for him to come home. They'll both be too caught up with their own fight to even notice you," Mikey said with a wink.

Mikey sauntered out of the kitchen, no doubt to spy on the argument between their older brothers. Don sighed as he stood up, feeling more tired than ever.

He'd opened up to Mikey because he was seeking solace from his younger brother. Now he felt like Mikey had raised even more concerns for Don to deal with.


	6. 6 Break Away

100 Theme Challenge  
6. Break Away

"I thought you learned from the last time you tried to be leader not to ditch me," Leo said testily.

"How is this by any stretch of the imagination 'ditching you'?" Raph asked hotly. "I'm not trying to lead anything; Casey and I are just hanging out."

"Well you've been doing a lot of that lately," Leo snapped.

"How would you know? You have your face buried in that stupid TV show all the time," Raph said nastily.

"Space Heroes is not stupid and I do not spend all of my time watching it," Leo asserted. "I spend a lot of my time practicing, which is something you used to do with me."

Raph crossed his arms over his plastron. "Maybe I don't need as much practice as you."

From his hiding spot, Don could see Leo's eyes narrow. Don imagined the little temperature gauge inside his oldest brother shooting up rapidly and was glad he'd taken a page out of Mikey's book and resorted to stealthy spying.

"You certainly need more practice at being a _ninja_," Leo said curtly. "You don't even know how to come in quietly anymore. How do you think Master Splinter would react if he heard you wandering in three hours later than he gave you permission for?"

"Is that why you're perched on the stairs waiting for me?" Raph asked sarcastically. "Are you here to save me from being punished for staying out late?"

"I'm here because I'm the leader," Leo said. "We have a team in case you've forgotten. Ever since Casey started coming around you've spent less and less time as a member of it."

"Don't put this on Casey," Raph snarled, leaning in close to his brother. "He knows how to handle those mutants the Kraang created. All you ever want to do is plan and by the time you're done talking, everyone is gone."

"Casey is reckless and he's going to get you hurt," Leo said. "Sneer at planning all you want, let's not forget how you blew it with Snakeweed."

"Oh, you want to throw that in my face? How about you and little Miss Karai? '_Don't worry Raph, there's good in her, I know it'_," Raph mimicked.

"Wow, this is their best fight yet," Mikey whispered in Don's ear.

Don jumped, startled by Mikey's sudden appearance. Frowning at his brother, Don said, "We should stop them before they wake Master Splinter."

"Are you sure you want to stop them?" Mikey asked, blue eyes twinkling. "Maybe Leo will forbid Casey from coming around. That'd solve all your problems."

"I wish you'd stop talking in riddles," Don said distractedly, watching as Raph tried to push past Leo, who got directly in his path.

"The difference is that as soon as I saw that Karai was a problem, I cut her loose," Leo said.

"Oh ho! More like she cut you loose," Raph sniped with a nasty grin.

Leo's expression suddenly changed as he asked quietly, "Is that what you're trying to do, Raph? Break away from me?"

"What? No!" Raph said loudly, taken aback by the sudden shift in Leo's demeanor. "I just want to enjoy, you know, having a friend. Donnie hogs Casey whenever he's here, why don't you jump on the genius?"

"Don isn't you, Raph," Leo answered, "and when they're together, they don't leave the lair."

"Yeah, and I don't get any time with my friend either," Raph said with a scowl.

"Maybe you and Don should talk about that," Leo offered helpfully.

The grin that appeared on Raph's face was far from humorous. "I was planning on it."

Mikey clapped Don on the shoulder, spooking him again. "Stop that," Don whispered.

"See, they stopped fighting on their own," Mikey said cheerily. "But I think you'd better avoid trying to make it to your room for a while."

With that piece of advice delivered, Mikey sauntered out to where his two older brothers stood. Don heard Mikey tell Leo, in answer to a question from their leader, that he thought Don had gone to bed.

Silently thanking Mikey for his diplomacy, Don wondered if he was going to have to start dodging both Raph _and_ Leo. Maybe Casey would do them all a favor and get hit by a bus.


	7. 7 Heaven

100 Theme Challenge  
7. Heaven

Donatello never made it to his room the previous night and wound up staying in his lab. Seated in his rolling desk chair with his head cradled on his arms wasn't the most comfortable position to sleep in and he woke with a mild headache.

Standing and stretching, he decided that he was tired of worrying about Raph's promised talk. Don was just cranky enough to hope that his hot headed sibling would go off on him, then he could not only find out what Raph's problem was, but could relieve some of his own stress by snapping back.

Walking down the steps from the lab, Don was half expecting to see Mikey lurking somewhere nearby. Lately his youngest brother seemed to be everywhere at once, and in everyone's business too. Don had the feeling he had discovered the key to getting Mikey to pay attention; just give him a little drama and he could focus like a laser.

No one else was about and with a frown, Don glanced at the clock hanging near the kitchen. It was early, much earlier than his brothers normally rose, except for Leo. His oldest brother liked to have some practice time to himself before Raph got up and started challenging him.

Just as he had that thought, he heard voices coming from the dojo and recognized one of them as April's. A pleasant warmth rose to his cheeks as he automatically turned in that direction. Maybe she wanted a little extra practice too and had joined Leo, in which case she wouldn't mind if Don helped her out either.

That idea sounded like a little piece of heaven and Don walked faster, not wanting to waste even a second of the time he could spend with the redhead who'd captured his heart. As he neared the door, he heard her speak again, but the tone of her voice sounded off.

With a frown, Don slowed and rather than barging into the dojo, he approached the door carefully. As he neared it, another voice reached his hearing and Don recognized it as belonging to Casey Jones.

Don's fists curled automatically, his heart thumping in his chest. There was no way Casey was here this early to see Raph, he knew the turtle couldn't go out in the daytime. Casey also knew by now that the only ones likely to be up and around were Master Splinter, Leo, Don, or April.

Since Casey must have come to see April, Don figured he was justified in listening to their conversation. Maybe eavesdropping wasn't the most honorable thing in the world, but all's fair in love and war and Don was a ninja. Besides, the whole eavesdropping thing seemed to work for Michelangelo.

"Look kid, you're all right, but I ain't gonna spar with ya'," Casey said, looking down at the girl who stood directly in front of him. "I didn't come here for that and I don't wanna hurt ya'."

"What makes you think you can hurt me?" April snapped, looking furious. "Just because you're bigger than me doesn't mean you're a better fighter."

Casey chuckled. "Yeah, I'll remember that next time I have to shake a mutant off your butt."

"Maybe next time I'll be the one saving _you_," April said heatedly. "Or hadn't you thought of that?"

"Yeah, sure kid," Casey said, still not taking her seriously. "Master Splinter decided to teach you how to defend yourself and that's great, but you're too young to be out there battling mutants. Ya' need to leave that to the more experienced guys."

"Guys?" April shrilled, the indignation in her voice echoing through the dojo. "You're a chauvinist Casey Jones. And stop calling me kid, you aren't that much older than me and we're in the same grade."

That last part seemed to sting Casey because the grin on his face disappeared. "Just because I ain't as far along in school as you are little Miss Privilege, don't mean that I'm dumb. I got enough smarts to know that the streets ain't a place for cocky little girls."

"Don is a better fighter than you are and he trusts me when we go topside," April said. "I think you're just scared I might show you up."

Their voices had gotten louder and Don heard the door to Master Splinter's room slide open. Darting towards the kitchen, Don was out of sight by the time his father and Leonardo stepped out of Master Splinter's room, both headed towards the dojo.

Leaning against the wall, Don's mouth spread into a wide smile and he hugged himself. One thing he knew about April was that she did not like being treated like a kid and Casey was doing exactly that. There was no way she would like him after this fight.

The section of heaven that Don thought had slipped away at the sound of Casey's voice came back and for the first time in a long while, Don was happy.


	8. 8 Innocence

100 Theme Challenge  
8. Innocence

Donatello had one entire stress free day and he enjoyed every minute of it.

Whatever had occurred after the fight between Casey and April had sent the human boy packing. Don had no idea if Master Splinter had advised him to leave, or if he'd decided hanging out with a mad April was a bad idea, but Casey was gone and that's all Don cared about.

He was doubly thankful that the situation had aggravated Raph enough to where the hot head had apparently forgotten his promise to 'talk' to Don. Raph spent the day moping around the lair and glaring at Leo whenever they were in a room together. For his part, Leo responded with a smug smile, which no doubt exacerbated Raph's bad mood.

What made things doubly nice was that April had chosen to hang out with Don for most of the day. Because it wasn't safe for her to leave the lair, her dad was home schooling her to make sure her grades didn't fall. April brought her laptop into the lab after her morning training with Master Splinter and stayed in there with Don while he worked on some early warning security system ideas.

When she'd gotten tired of sitting around, April had asked Don to spar with her a little and the genius had almost fallen all over himself in agreement. The hour they spent in the dojo was one of the best in Don's life; it was doubly nice because he'd had a chance to touch April a lot and it was because she'd wanted him to.

The only slight damper on their time together was that April would periodically bring up Casey's name in their conversation. Granted, she railed against the youth at every opportunity, but April was the one who'd start talking about him. Don would have been ecstatic to forget the guy ever existed.

Every once in a while during the day, Don had looked up to see Mikey's cherubic smiling face peering at him. Now that Don understood that Mikey had a penchant for spying, he knew that look of supreme innocence was just a cover.

Mikey was information gathering and it slightly unnerved Don to be an unwillingly part of his youngest brother's entertainment. It was worse knowing that whatever secrets Mikey managed to acquire, he was slow to divulge. Having those secrets and playing with them were apparently Mikey's favorite pastime.

Dinner had come and gone and for the first time since that morning, Don was alone in his lab. He'd truly enjoyed April's company, but having her anywhere nearby tended to divide his concentration. Don was determined to buckle down and get his security prototypes finished so that he could place them in the sewer tunnels around their home.

Loud voices in the other part of the lair went mostly unnoticed when they began, after all, Don lived with three brothers. It was when Leo popped into the lab and called Don's name in a no nonsense tone of voice that the genius snapped back to reality to follow his oldest brother.

Don saw that everyone else in the lair was waiting on them when he came out of his lab. They all appeared to be talking at once and that included Casey Jones.

Coming to a stop next to Mikey, Don leaned closed and asked, "Wasn't he asked to leave earlier?"

Mikey shot him an impish look before saying, "Yeah, but he heard something on the street he thought we needed to know about."

"Mr. Jones, please tell Donatello about the information you have gathered," Master Splinter said sharply, cutting through the noise.

Casey looked directly at Don, his dark eyes sparking with inner excitement. "Bunch of guys was standing around on a corner near State and 7th a little while ago. They said some weird dudes who were all dressed alike asked them if they wanted to make a few bucks. Of course they wanted to know what they had to do for the money, 'cause these are guys who are allergic to hard work. The suits told them they needed help moving some boxes around in the old chemical factory."

"They didn't go?" Don asked.

"The suits said they didn't need the guys 'til eleven. Sounds pretty bogus to me," Casey answered.

"Sounds like the Kraang to me," Raph said.

"Leonardo, you and your brothers must explore this situation," Master Splinter said.

"And me too," Casey said quickly.

Master Splinter gave him a hard look and then nodded. "You as well Mr. Jones. Please be alert and remain circumspect."

"No problem Master Splinter," Raph said with his first grin of the day.

Mikey poked Don in the arm and when he had his brother's attention asked, "What's that mean?"

"It means we should be careful," Don told him.

"Oh," Mikey said. "Don't know how we're gonna manage that with both Raph and Casey along."

Don sighed. "Me either Mikey."


	9. 9 Drive

100 Theme Challenge  
9. Drive

April wanted to come with them to check out Casey's information, but that idea was immediately nixed by everyone. The Kraang would love to get their hands on her and Shredder would not hesitate to use her again to get at Hamato Yoshi.

Her look of displeasure didn't waver even though Don attempted to give her a reassuring smile. He didn't doubt for one minute that he'd feel just as much a prisoner if their positions were reversed.

It was the first time Casey had gotten to ride in the Shellraiser and he spent part of the drive hovering over Raph's shoulder as his buddy gave him the low down on the weapon's controls. Eventually he rolled his chair along the floor tracks until he was next to Don, watching the genius' fingers fly over his computer keyboard.

"Don, what can you tell us about the chemical factory?" Leo asked, his eyes focused on the road.

Trying to ignore Casey's hot breath on his arm, Don said, "It was abandoned three years ago. The building was in so much disrepair that they couldn't pass any of their regulatory inspections. It's supposed to be boarded up until the city has the funds to demolish it. There shouldn't be anyone inside; it isn't safe."

Raph snorted. "I don't think the Kraang care too much about that."

"Where am I going, Mikey?" Leo asked.

Mikey had been watching Don and Casey and spun around quickly in his chair. "Left in two blocks and then right in three. That'll put us right in front of it."

"We're not going to get that close," Leo said. "I don't want the Kraang to know we're snooping around."

"I hope that doesn't mean this is a recon mission," Raph said sourly. "We haven't smashed any Kraang bots in a week."

"If we find some Kraang who need smashing, you can do it," Leo said good-naturedly.

"A-team favoritism," Mikey protested. "I want to do something too, what can I do?"

"You can be the bait," Raph told him with a grin.

"I'm sick of the Kraang and their experiments," Casey said suddenly. "There has to be a way to wipe them all out before they make any more nasty mutants. No offense guys."

"None taken bone head," Raph responded. "Why don't you stop trying to shine Donnie's shoulder with your breath and gear up; we're getting close to that building."

"Don don't mind, do you buddy?" Casey asked, resting his hand on Don's bicep.

The answer that ran through Don's head was '_yes Casey I do mind, you're about to drive me crazy_', but he kept it to himself. Instead Don pretended to be too busy to have heard the youth in the hopes that Casey would back off and get into his outlandish outfit as Raph had suggested.

For several minutes Casey didn't move; leaving his hand on Don's skin. Don could feel Casey's eyes on his face; he could even see a reflection of the boy's expression in his computer screen as Casey stared at him. What was even more unnerving was when Casey's fingers stroked lightly down Don's arm and then traced back up again before the boy withdrew them.

As though nothing strange had just occurred, Casey began pulling on his gloves. Don didn't dare to turn his head, watching Casey from the corners of his eyes.

Don had no idea what would drive Casey to feel him up like that, unless the guy was as nuts as Don thought him to be. Whatever the reason, Don wished Casey would stop messing with him.

Even without looking, Don could sense Raph's eyes boring holes into the back of his head. If his brother wanted to be mad at someone, why didn't he take it out on Casey?


	10. 10 Breathe Again

100 Theme Challenge  
10. Breathe Again

It was only after they parked the Shellraiser and took to the roof tops that Donatello began to feel like he could breathe again.

The last few minutes of their ride had been stifling. Don was used to Mikey draping himself over his brothers and invading their personal space – and business – in his quest for entertainment, but it was obvious that Casey didn't have the same motivation. Nor was Casey behaving in the same touchy-feely fashion with anyone but him; Casey's interactions with Raph were all shoving, punching, and lewd jokes.

Don had no frame of reference for interactions with humans other than the time he spent with April. For that reason, Don felt that he didn't have enough data to form a reasonable hypothesis as to why Casey had begun touching him in a manner that could only be deemed as slightly inappropriate.

Perhaps the human boy was simply curious about his new friends and felt that acquiring information from Don was more viable and less potentially harmful than attempting the same maneuver with Raph. Don had to admit to a similar desire to touch April's skin when they'd first met and it wasn't all because of his attraction to her.

Maybe that was what Mikey had been trying to tell him when he'd told Don not to lock himself away. It was possible that Casey felt a need to familiarize himself with their structure so they wouldn't seem so foreign to him and had chosen Don to be his teacher, albeit unbeknownst to the purple banded turtle.

That would sort of make sense considering Casey's distrust of anything mutated by the Kraang. Mikey hadn't seemed to take Casey's odd behavior very seriously and Don wondered if that was because he figured as soon as Casey's curiosity was satisfied, he'd leave Don alone.

Leaping from roof top to roof top gave Don breathing room but also allowed him to think more clearly. Don wasn't sure he bought into Mikey's theory, but Casey did appear determined to be close to Don, maybe as close as he was with Raph. There could be a number of reasons for that; Don's ability with machines certainly offered Casey an opportunity to further trick out his mutant fighting arsenal.

Of course, Casey's actions could have a more insidious and subtle meaning than Don would attribute to the youth's mental abilities, but it was possible Casey was more intelligent than they'd given him credit for. As Casey's greatest competition for April's affections, it was possible that Casey wanted to get close to Don in order to understand the turtle better. 'Keep your friends close but your enemy's closer' was a great tactic to employ when two factions had their eye on the same prize.

Or it could be that Casey knew if he pretended that Don was usurping his time then Raph would think Don was trying to steal his new human friend. Introducing that type of discord between the brothers would surely lead to arguments and even possible physical altercations meant to show Don in a bad light to April.

The latter theory seemed the most feasible at the moment because Casey's actions were certainly getting Don into hot water with Raph. When this night was over, Don decided _he_ would be the one to initiate a conversation with Raphael rather than wait for the hot head to choose the time and place.

It was a strategically sound plan, giving Don the benefit of being prepared and also ensuring that April was nowhere within hearing distance.

Don had just reached his decision when Leo signaled for the team to stop. Crouching down so that they'd remain unseen, the group surveyed the abandoned chemical warehouse, noting that there were a couple of lights shining through windows on the lowest floor as well as a couple of dimly lit upper floor windows.

"Other than the lights it looks like no one's home," Leo said, his voice low.

"We aren't going to know for sure if we keep standing around up here," Raph told him a trifle impatiently.

"The Kraang have never needed help from humans to do anything," Don said. "Why would they suddenly feel the need to hire a bunch of guys now?"

"Let's get closer and find out," Leo said, drawing the first smile of the night from his brother Raph. "We'll split up and go inside the warehouse through the upper windows. Raph can come with me into the front part of the building; Don, Mikey, and Casey in through the back."

Don started to protest that arrangement but Raph and Casey drowned him out.

"Sounds good to me," Casey said enthusiastically, practically gluing himself to Don's side.

"Me and Case stick together," Raph growled, glaring at Leo. "He doesn't know how Don and Mikey operate yet."

Leo stared hard at his brother but the obstinate look on Raph's face made it obvious that Leo would get no cooperation with his first plan.

"Fine, you go with Casey and Don while Mikey comes with me," Leo said.

Raph nodded grudgingly and walked over to where Casey was standing, mumbling something under his breath.

"Maybe I should go with you and Mikey," Don said quickly, not liking the stink eye Raph was giving him. "These two obviously work better alone."

"I don't want them working alone," Leo said with a tiny self-satisfied smile on his face. "You're going with them to remind them this is a team operation."

With that said, Leo tapped Mikey on the shoulder and took off. Don could only watch them go as a distinct feeling of dread settled over him.


	11. 11 Memory

100 Theme Challenge  
11. Memory

"_Do you see anything, Raph?_" Leo asked.

Raph held the T-phone close to his head to keep the sound of his brother's voice muffled. "Nothing. The window we came through was crusted over with paint and we had to force it open. It's pitch black in here and full of dirt. We can hear some faint noises coming from below us though, so I guess the action's all on the first floor."

_"This is odd and I don't like it,"_ Leo said quietly. _"There's always an obvious sign that the Kraang have been somewhere, even if it's just the mess they leave behind."_

"Maybe whatever they're doing don't require the top floor," Casey said, his ear practically stuck to Raph's head so he could hear what was being said.

_"It's possible their activities are limited to the bottom part of the building,"_ Leo said musingly. _"However, we did see light coming through some of the upper windows."_

_"Hey Donnie,"_ Mikey's voice suddenly cut in, _"are you still in one piece?"_

They heard Leo fussing at his brother in the background. Standing on the other side of Raph so that he could also hear the conversation and avoid being too near Casey, Don felt embarrassed heat rising into his face.

Irritated, Don snapped, "Why wouldn't I be?"

He immediately regretted asking the question, afraid that Mikey might decide to answer it in front of everyone. Fortunately, Raph was very single minded in his purpose and refused to be sidetracked by his youngest brother.

"What's the plan Leo? I'm growing old here," Raph said impatiently.

_"Don, did you find a copy of the building layout online?"_ Leo asked.

Leaning closer to the T-phone, Don answered, "Yes, while we were driving. I committed the floor plans to memory, along with all of the electrical, communication, and water lines."

"The building's abandoned, wouldn't everything be shut off?" Casey asked.

Don glanced at him, finding that Casey's eyes were riveted to his face. "It should be, but lights seem to indicate that the electricity has been reconnected. If it's the Kraang, they'll want access to a power source."

_"If the Kraang are here, we're going to shut them down,"_ Leo said in his best Captain Ryan impression.

Raph snorted but restrained himself, simply saying, "How exactly are we going to do that hero boy?"

_"With the element of surprise,"_ Leo said. _"Don, I want you to find the electrical room and cut everything off. Raph, one of you stay with Don and watch his back while the other locates the room on this floor where the light was showing through. Let's use our headsets so we can stay in constant communication."_

"What are you and Mikey going to do?" Raph asked.

_"We found the inside stairwell and we're going down. All we'll do is reconnoiter until we hear from you guys. We're not rushing into the middle of anything without first finding out what the Kraang are up to. For all we know, this could be a trap,"_ Leo said.

"Just so long as you aren't planning to 'reconnoiter' all night," Raph said sarcastically.

_"Get going,"_ Leo said.

"He always plan out everything?" Casey asked as he watched Raph and Don put their headsets on.

"Yeah," Raph answered. "That's his thing."

"Here," Don said, handing Casey an extra headset. "Just talk into the mouthpiece when you find the room with the lights."

Casey slipped the headset on but said, "Uh-uh, I'm going with you to watch your back. This is your brother's operation and I ain't gonna mess it up by taking off on my own."

"Since when is doing stuff by yourself a problem?" Raph asked, his voice sounding hoarse.

"Since I ain't used to working with a team," Casey said with determination.

Raph glared at him for a moment and then transferred the look to Don before saying, "Fine, we don't have time to argue about it. Just make sure you do what Leo said and nothing else."

"I'm perfectly capable of following orders," Don replied sharply. Surely it had to be obvious even to Raph that this arrangement was none of his doing.

As Raph left the room, Don heard him muttering something about 'mister perfect'. Flashlight in hand, Don took a deep breath and faced Casey.

"So you got some idea of where we need to go?" Casey asked.

Don nodded. "Back outside and to the rear of the building. There's a maintenance door on the northwest corner of the building. Once inside, the electrical room should be ten paces in on the left."

Heading to the window, Casey asked, "Wow, ya' got some memory all right. How are we getting in that door, we gonna bust it down?"

Don climbed out of the building and caught the drainage pipe, sliding silently down to the ground. Casey followed, not as quietly but not loud enough to alert anyone.

"No," Don said. "I'll pick the lock."

Casey slipped up close enough to Don so that the turtle could feel the boy's body heat. "Geez Don, is there anything ya' can't do?" he asked in a voice filled with admiration.

Leading the way around the building, Don thought to himself, _"Yes, get rid of you."_


	12. 12 Insanity

100 Theme Challenge  
12. Insanity

Don was happy to discover that Casey wasn't unfamiliar with the concept of stealth. The boy also either instinctively knew not to follow too closely or he'd learned that from Raph. There would have been nothing worse than having Casey crowding him in the event Don needed to draw his bo staff.

They reached the outside maintenance door at the same moment that Raph's voice came through their headsets.

_"Found the room with the light,"_ Raph whispered. _"The only thing in here is a floor lamp and some boxes full of jewelry."_

Don and Casey exchanged looks and then Don asked, "What kind of jewelry?"

_"I don't know, some kind of necklace I guess,"_ Raph answered.

"Grab a couple of them for me," Don told him.

_"This isn't the time to pick up gifts for your girlfriend,"_ Raph said caustically.

Don felt his face heat up. "I want to know why the Kraang are storing necklaces, Raph. Examining them might give me some kind of clue."

There was a second of silence and then Raph said, _"Yeah, okay. I'm getting them now. Hey Leo, what's happening on your end?"_

Leo's voice reached them next. _"Mikey and I are in the loading bay. There are big boxes stacked everywhere, although all of the ones we checked are empty. No one's in here, but there is another room on the far side of the warehouse. It looks like the Kraang are all there because sometimes a bright light flashes from that area. Don, have you reached the electrical room yet?"_

"We'll be there in about five minutes," Don assured him.

_"Good. Don't do anything until I give you the go ahead and then cut the power,"_ Leo said. _"Raph, we'll be waiting for you to join us at the bottom of the staircase. If you see anyone along the way, make sure they don't see you."_

"What do Casey and I do after we shut off the power?" Don asked.

_"Come around the outside of the building to the loading dock. Be ready for anything. Out,"_ Leo said.

Shoving the microphone away from his mouth Don said, "Hold this flashlight so I can see what I'm doing."

Casey obediently pointed the pencil light at the door and Don set to picking the lock. It didn't take more than two seconds for him to manipulate the tumblers and open the door.

"You'll have to teach me that trick," Casey said appreciatively.

"Raph knows how," Don said, keeping his replies short as he retrieved the flashlight from Casey.

The pencil light was more than enough to see a door along the passageway where the electrical room was supposed to be. The sign on the door confirmed they'd reached their target and Don aimed the light at the lock.

"Oh dear," Don muttered softly.

"Is there a problem pal?" Casey asked.

Don took a deep breath and extracted his hand held computer from his belt. "Nothing major. This is a key pad lock; I can't pick it so getting it open will take a little longer. I can use a light coating of fingerprint powder to bring up the oil from the Kraang's synthetic skin which will show me the numbers most frequently pressed and then my computer can . . . ."

His explanation was cut short when Casey's bat slammed into the lock. Sparks flew and the door popped open.

"Why did you do that?" Don asked, horrified.

"Ya' needed the door open fast so I opened it," Casey said with a smug smile.

A strobe light began flashing on the wall behind them immediately followed by the shrill sound of alarm bells.

"So much for the element of surprise!" Don exclaimed, darting into the room and locating the power control box.

_"Don! Donnie! What's happening?"_ Leo called out.

Lifting the mic into place as he snapped the lock on the control box Don said, "Casey set off the alarm with his bat. I think insanity runs in his family."

_"Turn the power off now!"_ Leo hissed urgently.

The sound of Kraang lasers firing in the background cut his brother off. Don grabbed the handle on the main breaker and pulled it down, throwing the room into darkness.

"Sorry Don! I was just trying to . . . ." Casey began.

"Save it!" Don snapped, pushing past him and hurrying towards the outer door. "We have to go rescue my brothers!"


	13. 13 Misfortune

100 Theme Challenge  
13. Misfortune

Don could hear the Kraang laser blasters when he was only partway around the building. Casey kept pace with Don as they ran, a hockey stick replacing the bat he'd used earlier. The boy's mask was pulled down over his face and his entire focus was directed towards the fight.

Rounding a corner of the building, Don saw the door to the loading dock was wide open. Intermittent flashes of pink from the Kraang weapons lit up the dark interior of the warehouse.

Stopping just outside the opening, Don pressed his carapace against the wall and tried to get a look inside. When Casey made as if to pass him, Don swung his arm out and stopped the youth.

"The fight's in there," Casey whispered harshly.

"Do you want to outline yourself in the door and give the Kraang a target?" Don asked, pointing at the two nearby street lights. "Hang on."

Digging a pair of shuriken from his belt, Don let them fly. Both hit their targets and the exterior light was extinguished.

"Follow me. Inside quick, hug the wall," Don directed as he slithered around the door frame.

The sound of something hitting the floor set off another round of laser fire, directed away from the pair.

_"Is that you, Donnie?"_ Leo's voice came in over the headset, the turtle leader being careful not to give away their position.

"Casey and me," Don whispered. "Are you guys together?"

_"Yes, we took out a few of them, but we're pinned down opposite the loading dock. They don't know where we are, but the floor over here is covered in broken glass. Every time we try to move they hear us and start firing,"_ Leo answered.

"I'll create a diversion so you can get out of there," Don said. "Just hold on."

_"I don't want out,"_ Raph grumbled in a low voice, _"I want to know what they're up to."_

"One thing at a time bro'," Don whispered.

"What are ya' gonna do?" Casey asked, close enough to Don to feel the turtle's movements.

"I have some flash bang poppers I made out of the material inside various fireworks," Don said. "The light and sound should distract the Kraang."

"And if it don't?" Casey leaned closer, peering at the small round objects in Don's hand.

Don didn't bother to answer that, instead saying, "Stay right here."

Moving a few paces away from the wall, Don threw the poppers at the spot where he'd seen the laser fire.

As soon as they hit the ground, the poppers burst into a bright flash, the accompanying bang loud inside the warehouse. The light from the poppers illuminated that section of the space and at least twenty Kraang bots at the same time.

It also showed Don several men who'd had the misfortune to be caught in the middle of the fight. They were crouched near a stack of boxes, their hands over their ears and eyes wide with panic.

Even though he knew the Kraang would find him, Don shouted, "Run! Get out of here!"

The men responded as one, leaping to their feet and dashing for the opening. At the same time, the Kraang opened fire on Donatello.

Don saw the men escape as he leaped backwards to avoid the laser blasts. Suddenly Casey darted past him with a paint can in one hand and a lighter in the other.

Just as the light from the poppers began to fade, Casey threw his spray can grenade right in the midst of the Kraang.

The explosion rocked the inside of the warehouse and knocked several of the bots to the floor. One of their laser blasters caught fire when the flaming paint coated it and overloaded, resulting in an even larger eruption.

Casey was thrown off his feet and landed near Don just as the other three turtles rushed up to them.

The front of Casey's shirt was smoldering and Don dropped to his knees next to him, patting out the flame.

"Are you all right? Why did you do that?" Don asked in rapid succession.

"I said I'd watch your back," Casey answered with a proud grin. Coughing, he started to get up but fell back with a groan.

"You're hurt," Don said sharply.

"My leg," Casey said, trying to lift the left one.

"Guys, we need to move," Leo said in a warning tone.

"Hang onto me," Don ordered Casey, sliding an arm under the boy and pulling him up.

With his arm slung over Don's shoulder, Casey leaned on the turtle and hobbled out of the warehouse while the others watched for Kraang movement. Once they were clear, Raph shoved his sais into his belt and took Casey's other arm so that they could move faster.

"I can't believe you did that, it was completely nuts and you got hurt," Don muttered as they made their way back to the Shellraiser.

"The misfortune of war," Casey replied in a cavalier manner, smiling as he studied the side of Don's face.

"Misfortunes," Don automatically corrected.

"Misfortunes is right," Raph growled. "We didn't find out anything for our troubles."

"Maybe we did," Don said enigmatically. "Let's get back home first; I need to patch up Casey's leg."

As they maneuvered their injured friend into the Shellraiser, Don tried to ignore the large smirk that was on Mikey's face.


	14. 14 Smile

100 Theme Challenge  
14. Smile

Don had hoped that April would be in bed when they got back to the lair, but he should have known she'd be awake and listening for their return.

"What happened?" April asked as she rushed across the room.

Between them, Raph and Don helped Casey to lie back on the couch. During the ride to the lair, Don had wrapped the wound on Casey's thigh with his mask in order to stop the bleeding. Now it needed to be tended to as did the burn on the youth's chest.

April hovered nearby watching as Don started peeling Casey's gear off of him, handing it to Raph for safe keeping. Glancing up, Don saw the anxious look on April's face and offered her a reassuring smile.

Unfortunately, April didn't see it as her complete focus seemed to be on Casey.

"You're bleeding," April told him unnecessarily, her eyes too wide, the fear in them evident.

Don's smile faded as she kneeled next to Casey and reached out to brush a strand of hair from his eyes.

Casey caught her hand, giving it a squeeze before pushing it away from him. "Don't fuss kid, I've been hurt worse than this before," Casey said with a grin. Looking at Don he asked, "Was that really what the Kraang look like? I've never seen them when they weren't wearing those matching meat suits."

Raph chuckled, standing behind the couch with his arms crossed over his plastron. "You should see what they look like when you peel them out of the robots," he said.

"We need to get you out of your clothes so I can see how bad the leg wound is," Don said, all business. "If you were hit by shrapnel from that exploding can I've got to make sure some of it isn't embedded in your leg. I've got to put something on that burn as well, it's a pretty bad first degree burn but I think we got the fire out before it did too much damage."

"I'll grab the medical supplies," Leo offered, darting off towards Don's lab.

"Maybe we should wake Master Splinter or April's dad to take care of Casey's wounds," Raph said, his eyes narrowing as he watched Don help Casey slip out of his hooded sweatshirt.

"Nah, Don's got this, don't ya' pal? I don't like having grown-ups fussing over me. Next thing ya' know they'll be ordering me around like they do with the kid here," Casey said, nodding towards April.

April's face turned red. "Maybe you need someone to tell you what to do Casey Jones," she spat angrily. "You don't seem to have enough sense to make good decisions on your own."

"Can we book this fight for later? I've gotta slip out of my pants so Don can fix me up and you might want to make yourself scarce. That is unless ya' want to know if I wear boxers, briefs, or nothing at all," Casey said with a smirk.

Leaping to her feet, April stormed off without another word, much to Don's relief.

"You've got quite a way with the ladies," Raph said.

"What's going on?" Leo asked, returning with the medical supplies and seeing April stomping away in an obvious huff.

"Don's about to undress Casey," Mikey answered from his spot on the other end of the couch. With a bright smile he added, "We get to find out if he wears underwear but April doesn't."

Don rolled his eyes as he tugged Casey's shoes off, but Raph walked over to where his little brother sat and smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow!" Mikey shouted. "What was that for?"

"General principles," Raph growled.

Casey was slowly pulling his undershirt up, trying to work the charred material slowly off of the burned patch of skin with Leo's help. Don set Casey's shoes aside and began sorting through the things in his medical kit.

"Hey Don, could ya' help me with my jeans?" Casey asked in a quiet voice. "I kinda have my hands full at the moment."

Don looked up and saw that Casey's arms were lifted above his head as Leo manipulated his shirt.

"Sure," Don replied.

With a bit of fumbling, Don managed to work the button loose, and then discovered the joy of thick fingers and a small zipper tab. After a couple of tries he got a good hold on it and unzipped Casey's jeans.

When Don heard Casey groan almost inaudibly he froze and glanced up. Casey's head was up, his eyes slightly glazed as he stared at Don. Both hands clutched at the couch cushions and the boy's face had reddened.

"Am I hurting you?" Don asked softly.

After a second, Casey swallowed and shook his head. "I'm okay, keep going."

Don nodded and began tugging the pants over Casey's narrow hips. Behind him Don heard the faintest of laughs from his kid brother and then Mikey whispered, "Yeah, don't stop now Don."

When he was finished taking care of Casey's wounds, Don decided that he was going to smack Mikey too.


	15. 15 Silence

100 Theme Challenge  
15. Silence

Don sat in his lab surrounded by complete silence.

On a makeshift bed in one corner of the lab, Casey rested comfortably. The decision to move him had been partly Casey's; he didn't want the 'grown-ups' as he called Master Splinter and Mister O'Neil to know just yet that he'd gotten hurt.

The fact that he couldn't leave the lair without any clothes was another part of the reason he was sleeping in the turtle's home. He didn't have clothes because Don refused to let him put them back on.

With Leo's assistance, Don had extracted a small fragment of metal from Casey's thigh, afterwards cleaning and stitching the skin. It was his first real practical experience as a medic for a human and Don was so excited for the opportunity that he forgot to be nervous.

During the entire procedure, Casey had never taken his eyes off of Don. Other than a quick intake of breath during a couple of the more painful moments in the operation, Casey had been very stoic.

Carefully bandaging the wound when he was done, Don moved on to the burn. Leo had gently bathed the area with cold compresses and then Don lightly covered the reddened area of skin with gauze, taping it to undamaged skin to hold it in place.

Don had to admit that he was impressed with Casey's ability to suffer in silence. The youth complained about nothing, even complimenting Don on his bedside manner. As Don worked, he thought about what Casey had done back in the warehouse. Darting out of hiding with a paint grenade in order to save Don had been . . . noble.

It was the best word Don could come up with and it seemed fitting. As annoyed as Don was with Casey's presence most of the time, the boy was certainly a capable warrior in a fight. Casey had told the brothers that he would protect Donatello and he had proven to be a person of his word.

Don had to admit to a grudging admiration for the guy, even if he was a little nuts. It was no wonder that Raph and the human had hit it off so quickly. They were two of a kind.

While Don was working on Casey's wounds, Raph had gathered the boy's gear together, checking to make sure nothing had been damaged. At Don's suggestion, Leo had gone to ask April if she had any pain relievers. He figured that since Leo hadn't been in the room during her dust up with Casey, then he'd be the one least likely to earn her ire at the request.

Even Mikey had found something useful to do, going to the kitchen to make some noodle soup and a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches for Casey. He was pretty happy to show off his newest culinary skills and even happier when Casey had devoured every bit of it.

After downing a couple of aspirins and his snack, Casey had declared himself ready to go home. That was when Don had put his foot down and said that he needed to monitor the wounds and that Casey didn't need to put clothes on top of the injuries just yet, especially the burn.

Don had been ready for an argument, but Casey had surprised him and acquiesced, his only request was that he not be left practically naked on the couch out in the open where everyone could see him. Leo suggested that they fix up some cushions and blankets on the floor in Don's lab and that's how the boy had wound up sleeping only a few feet away.

It had actually worked out well; Raph had turned over the necklaces he'd swiped to Don and the genius turtle finally had a chance to examine them. He could work on that and keep an eye on Casey too.

A faint sound broke the silence and Don turned his head to make sure Casey was all right. That's when he spotted April standing near Casey's bed, looking down at him.

She must have seen Don's movement from the corner of her eye, because she looked up at him. They stared at one another for a couple of seconds and then she walked over to where Don sat.

"Is he okay?" April asked in a soft voice.

"He'll be fine," Don told her. "A few stitches and a first degree burn. I don't have a basis for comparison because my brothers and I heal very quickly, but I doubt if he'll really notice either of those wounds in a couple of days."

"I was harsh, wasn't I?" April asked, her eyes searching his.

Don felt a twinge of jealousy and fought it down. "You were just worried about him."

"I was worried about all of you," April emphasized.

His mouth suddenly dry, Don smiled and then shyly looked back towards the jewelry lined up on his table. A comfortable silence fell between them as Don began his examination of the necklaces with April quietly watching him work.

Maybe she had only come because she wanted to check on Casey, but Don could handle that as long as April wound up spending time with him instead.


	16. 16 Questioning

100 Theme Challenge  
16. Questioning

"Don?"

With a start Don lifted his head from his arms and blinked a few times to clear his vision. Looking towards the door of his lab he saw Leo walking in his direction. A glance over his shoulder showed him that Casey was still sleeping.

"What time is it?" Don asked wearily, rubbing his eyes.

"After four a.m.," Leo answered, coming to a stop next to Don's table. Looking past his brother, Leo asked, "Any problems with Casey?"

"No, he's been asleep the entire time," Don said.

Leo's eyes met Don's, his brow furrowing slightly. "Have you been in here with him all night?"

Nodding, Don said, "What there was left of it. April kept me company for a little while." Don flushed a little at this admission, both embarrassed and proud of the fact.

Leo smiled his understanding and then gestured towards the array of tiny parts strewn across the table in front of Don. "What is all this?"

Don straightened in his chair. "These are the components of the jewelry that Raph grabbed for me," he said with animation. "It's completely fascinating. This isn't jewelry at all; it's a very sophisticated miniature spy camera. The device gives someone the ability to see, hear and record anything within range of the wearer.

"Do you see the different sized chains? According to the information I found on the internet, men prefer a thicker chain for their neck wear as opposed to the delicate chains preferred by women. Raph grabbed a couple of each kind and that tells me the necklaces were meant for both genders."

"How is that significant?" Leo asked.

"Look at the clasp," Don said as he lifted one of the chains. "Remember the device we pulled off of Mr. O'Neil's neck? I compared the pieces and confirmed that the clasp snaps directly into the mind control device. I think the Kraang are grabbing people and putting both the mind control component and the spy camera on them. I noticed that all of the men we rescued from the warehouse were wearing necklaces just like these."

"Recruiting spies," Leo mused, his agile mind jumping ahead. "That's why they set up that false business. The more people they can turn into drones, the better their chances of finding April and us."

"It isn't just that," Don said. "Think of all the things they can learn by having their spies infiltrate every aspect of life on Earth. The Kraang and their look alike bodies don't fit in right now but imagine what could happen once they learn how."

"We have to find a way to stop them," Leo said. "Any ideas?"

"A few. I need time to work on them. The first thing I have to do is find a way to block the camera signal from each of these remote devices. It needs to be something we can wear or carry in our belts so that our hands are free in case we have to fight," Don said. "The range will be limited because of size constraints, but I'm sure I can make them strong enough to work within a half mile radius."

"Fashion one for April, Mr. O'Neil, and Casey as well," Leo said. "We don't need for any of them to be followed to our home, or for the O'Neil's to be kidnapped again."

A soft snore interrupted their conversation and both brothers looked over at Casey. The boy had rolled onto his side but was still asleep.

After a couple of minutes, Don said in a low voice, "It's okay, we didn't wake him. He's a heavy sleeper."

Leo was frowning, his eyes still on Casey. "Don, when you were with Raph and Casey, did either of them do or say anything that was unusual?"

"Unusual how?" Don asked.

"In their interactions with each other," Leo said, looking at Don once more.

Not sure where Leo was going with his line of questioning, Don slowly answered, "No, they behaved exactly the way they do when they're together here. Raph seemed peeved at having to leave us but I think that was just because Casey insisted on watching my back."

"Raph didn't want to separate?" Leo asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I think he was afraid he'd miss out on some action," Don said with a short laugh. "Those two are very much alike; hit things first and don't bother with any questions."

Leo didn't appear to find that humorous. "They could get themselves into a lot of trouble that way," he said with slow deliberation. "It might be best to monitor them."

"Monitor how?" Don asked, a sense of unease settling in his stomach. "Raph will resent it if you interfere in his friendship with Casey."

"Then we'll just have to be subtle in how we go about it," Leo said with a sly smile.

"W . . . we?" Don stuttered, the weight in his gut suddenly ten times heavier.

"Raph's your brother too," Leo said smoothly. "For his own safety I think you should spend as much time as possible with Casey. He already seems as interested in hanging out with you as he does with Raph. The more frequently those two are grounded here by choice, the less likely they'll get each other killed."

"But . . . but I . . . ." Don began.

Leo clapped him on the shoulder and said brightly, "I know you're a team player, Don. I can always count on you."

Before Don had a chance to protest, Leo was gone. Staring at his work table with unseeing eyes, Don replayed the conversation with his oldest brother in his mind.

The more he thought about it, the more Don came to believe he'd just been manipulated.


	17. 17 Bloody

100 Theme Challenge  
17. Bloody

Don shuffled the components of the mini spy cameras around on the table, but rather than working on a signal jammer, his mind was toying with the conversation he'd just had with Leo.

His brother had maneuvered Don into quite possibly the most awkward position of his entire young life. If Leo was really worried about the influence Casey had on Raph, he should have taken it up with Master Splinter. Their father was quite astute and he allowed Raph to hang out unsupervised with his new best friend. Who was Leo to say that there was anything wrong with that?

If anything, Don felt he was already being subjected to too much of Casey's company. The guy was obviously trying to insinuate himself between Don and April so that he could alienate April's affections. Don had worked very hard to be the one that April sought out when she needed anything and he was making headway too, until Casey came along.

Don had no illusions about why Casey had purposely chased April off as Don was about to work on his injuries. Casey just didn't want April to see him looking weak.

Of course, if he had to be completely honest, Casey had shown a lot of self-control while Don operated. He'd mostly just stared at Don. Whenever the purple banded turtle looked up, Casey smiled at him in a way that made Don a little flustered.

Shaking his head, Don switched off the desk lamp, suddenly feeling rebellious. He had time for a couple of hours sleep in his own bed and Casey appeared to be just fine. Don had no intention of becoming a wedge between Raph and Casey as Leo had requested. Despite what Leo seemed to believe, Donatello was not a pushover.

Don had just risen from his chair when a low groan caught his attention and he turned to see Casey sitting up.

"Hey Don," Casey called to him. "How long was I out?"

Walking over, Don squatted next to Casey's makeshift bed. "Several hours. Do you feel all right?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I after that great patch job ya' did on me?" Casey said, grinning. "Say, how bloody are my jeans? I don't want my mom to start asking questions. Holes ain't something she'll think twice about, but blood is a whole other problem."

"Not as bloody as they were," Don answered. "April knew a trick for getting blood out of clothes. She soaked the stain in a solution of hydrogen peroxide and it drew the blood right out of the material. They're too wet for you to wear though."

"She's a good kid," Casey said, deeply thoughtful. "Smart too. Ain't right she can't live a normal life like other girls her age. Lot of things ain't right since the Kraang showed up."

Don swallowed thickly, moved by the expression on Casey's face. He'd known that Casey hated mutants and the aliens responsible for creating so many of them, but he'd never seen how deep that resentment was until now.

"We'll get rid of them," Don said with as much assurance as he could muster. "Don't worry about April; she's safe here and she isn't missing out on any of her studies."

Casey looked into Don's eyes. "I ain't bashing on you guys, Donny. You're the only good that's come out of this mess. A lot of things just seem unfair and I ain't the most patient guy in the world when it comes to waiting on stuff."

It felt like a hand had started to squeeze his heart, but Don managed to calmly say, "April is pretty special."

For a second there was a confused look on Casey's face before it smoothed out. "You kind of like her, don't ya'?"

"Well y . . . yes, she . . . she's my best friend," Don stuttered. He wanted to tell Casey 'hands off, she's my girl' but was afraid Casey would throw that in April's face and she would not only deny it, but be angry with Don for saying so.

Casey seemed to contemplate that answer and then said, "I wanna be your friend too, Donny. Sometimes I feel like ya' don't want me around."

Don's face heated with embarrassment. "It isn't that," he protested quickly. "It's just that you and Raph are tight and we don't have all that many human friends. I don't want my bro' thinking I'm trying to steal his."

Brow furrowing, Casey said, "You guys really don't know a lot about having friends, do ya'? Ya' ain't got to limit yourself to just one. I consider all of you guys to be friends, but I hang out with Raph 'cause we got a lot in common."

Don chuckled uneasily. "That concept of multiple friends is pretty new to Raph, so maybe you could ease him into the idea."

"Anything ya' need Don," Casey said. He reached out and placed a hand on top of Don's. "Ya' know, I want us ta be a different kind of friend than what I am with the others. Do ya' get my meaning?"

Casey's words were barely registering as Don felt the heat from the human boy's hand seep into his skin. Rather than answer, Don leaned forward and touched the back of his free hand to Casey's forehead.

"You're hot," Don said.

Grinning, Casey said, "Glad ya' think so." He started to lift his wounded leg and then groaned.

"Have you had a tetanus shot lately?" Don asked anxiously, remembering some of the things he'd looked up on the internet.

"Yeah, a few months ago," Casey said.

"Lie down," Don instructed in a no-nonsense tone of voice. "I think your wound is infected. I've got to take care of that quickly."

Casey did as Don asked, his eyes never leaving the turtle. "I ain't worried. I know I'm in good hands."

Don wished he felt as confident about that as Casey appeared to be.


	18. 18 Rainbow

100 Theme Challenge  
18. Rainbow

"Are you sure this medication will work?" Don asked worriedly, looking at the rainbow of colors arrayed before him in the form of pills, medicine bottles, and medical supplies. He was sitting cross legged on the floor near Casey.

Mr. O'Neil, who was squatting next to him, chuckled and set a calming hand on Don's shoulder. "Yes Donatello, I'm sure. It's lucky I can write prescriptions for the antibiotics and pain killers Casey needs, because I don't know if our stubborn young friend here would have gone to a doctor."

"Donnie's better than any doctor," Casey slurred sleepily, his eyes closed.

"Yeah, I'm so good I let you get an infection," Don said morosely.

"Donatello," Mr. O'Neil said, his serious tone getting Don's attention. "I watched a lot of doctors and surgeons when I did my hospital rotations. Some of the best of them work in the emergency room and I can honestly say your skill stacks right up there with them. From what I understand you took charge immediately and handled this situation with calm assurance, doing exactly what needed to be done. I've never seen a finer line of stitches in my life."

"But then why . . . ?" Don began.

"Because stuff happens," Mr. O'Neil said. "Even in the cleanest of environments people get sick and living down here gives you a major handicap in that regard. Casey's jeans could have been covered in bacteria from slogging around in the sewers with Raphael or that shrapnel that hit him might have been dirty. Casey will be fine and he's right to have such confidence in you. I'm impressed with your skill and knowledge and so is April and your family."

Don felt the heat rising in his cheeks. "She is?" he asked and then quickly said, "I m . . . mean, they are?"

Mr. O'Neil smiled and patted his shoulder. "Yes she is. Look, I have an idea for a project we can do together. The space you use for a lab is large; why don't we cordon off a section of it and turn that into a proper sick bay? Hopefully you won't ever need it again, but if you do, it will be a much cleaner environment for you to work in and your supplies will be within reach."

The idea perked Donnie right up, his mind already picturing exactly how he wanted to arrange things.

"Gosh Mr. O'Neil, that would be great," Don said.

"We'll get April to pitch in as well," Mr. O'Neil said with a wink. "Someday she might want to be a doctor and this would be a good experience for her."

He walked away before a flustered Don could answer. Watching through the open lab door as Mr. O'Neil joined Master Splinter who was on his way to the kitchen, it was all Don could do to suppress a chortle of delight.

"I could help too," Casey said, his low voice snapping Don out of a pleasant daydream that had Mr. O'Neil giving the turtle April's hand in marriage.

Looking down at his patient, Don saw that Casey's eyes were fixed on him, an unfathomable expression on the boy's face.

"Of . . . of course," Don stammered, unnerved by the intensity of Casey's gaze.

"Ya' ain't gotta always do everything by yourself, Donnie," Casey told him.

Don glanced away, his hand nervously rearranging the bottles near his patient. "You have to get better first. I mean . . . you don't have to help unless you really want to. Don't . . . don't do anything just because you think you owe . . . ."

His sentence was cut off when Casey reached out and grabbed his hand in a strong grip. Forced to look up, Don once more found himself embarrassed by the way Casey's eyes held his.

"Anything ya' need," Casey said. "I already told ya' that. All ya' gotta do is ask."

Don's mouth opened and then closed. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to answer. Fixing Casey's wounds had been a necessary task and Don had been the only one qualified for the job. He didn't want Casey to have a feeling of obligation to him because of that.

As Don tried to think of the best way to discuss that with Casey, they were interrupted.

"Hey guys, lunch is served," April said from the doorway.

Don slipped his hand free quickly, hoping that April hadn't seen Casey holding it. She seemed a little out of sorts; almost shy as she carried a tray of food over to Casey's makeshift sick bed.

April seated herself on the floor next to the bed as Don moved over to make room. Easing the box of assorted medicines further to the side, she placed the tray on the floor and handed Don a plate containing a large sandwich.

"Thank you," Don said, smiling brightly at her, touched by the gesture.

"Master Splinter says you have a habit of forgetting to eat when you're really busy," April told him. Turning her attention to Casey, she said in a lightly scolding tone, "You need to eat something too so you can keep your strength up."

"Later," Casey said, sounding testy. "I'm too sleepy right now."

"Sleep after," April said in a more determined voice, shoving an extra pillow under Casey's shoulders to help him sit up.

She didn't see the cranky expression on his face as she turned to get the bowl of soup she'd brought. Holding a spoonful up to his lips she ordered, "Open."

"I can feed myself," Casey growled.

"You can hardly move," April said. "The sooner you stop arguing with me the sooner you can go back to sleep."

Don watched as Casey gave in with a snort. The first spoonful of soup was swiftly followed by another.

At some point during their little meal Don began to wish he'd been the one who'd gotten injured.


	19. 19 Gray

100 Theme Challenge  
19. Gray

Because Casey wanted to hear what Don had discovered regarding the necklaces they'd stolen from the Kraang, Don had everyone gather in his lab so he could present his findings.

Don wasn't keen on exciting the boy who he felt needed to rest, but when Casey had insisted, April had backed him up. Arguing with an injured Casey was hard enough, but Don was no match for their combined forces.

The phrase 'combined forces' when referencing action taken by Casey and April wasn't one Don liked much, but there was no denying the fact that they'd ganged up on him in the matter. Things had been so much better when those two couldn't stand to be around each other.

Explaining everything while in the lab turned out to be for the best because Don could show his audience the components he'd removed from the necklaces. Since he still had the mind control device that they'd pulled off of Mr. O'Neil, Don was able to demonstrate how the necklace clasp snapped into the device.

He passed one of the necklaces around so that everyone could get a good close look at it. Thousands of people wore necklaces and Don wanted to make sure his family, the O'Neil's, and Casey could identify those citizens who had already been 'recruited'.

"What you're saying is that people wearing these things could go about their business like normal and still be feeding information to the Kraang," Raph said, eyeballing the necklace he was holding.

"Right," Don told him. "If the Kraang see or hear something they want to know more about, they activate the mind control device."

"So then they become pod people," Mikey said in his best sepulchral voice. "If they see one of us, are they gonna point and scream?"

"Maybe," Raph said, a mischievous look appearing in his eyes. "One good look at your face would make anybody do that."

"Pod people?" April asked Don in a low voice. She was seated on a cushion on the floor next to Casey, with Don on a chair near her.

Don turned and leaned over, happy to have an excuse to get closer to the girl. "Mikey watches a lot of late night horror movies. Before pod people it was little gray men invading the sewers."

April giggled. "Except for the color gray, he wasn't too far off."

"Don is going to make something for each of us to wear that will block the signal from those mini cameras," Leo said.

"I already started," Don said, lifting his arm to show them the cheap watch that was strapped to his wrist. "This is just a prototype I'm testing; the finished models won't be ready until I find out how much wear and tear these can take."

"Once they're ready, no one leaves the lair without theirs," Leo said. "If something happens to yours and it stops working, try to find someplace to hide and call in for help. Whatever you do, don't take chances on leading anyone back to the lair. We have no idea how many spies the Kraang have already created."

"Are they that desperate to capture April again?" Mr. O'Neil asked worriedly.

"They want all of us," Don said. "Shredder is working with them and he wants Master Splinter. Both Shredder and the Kraang want us out of the way so we can't interfere with their plans anymore, likewise for Casey. They want Mr. O'Neil because he's the first person who was mutated and then cured."

"And they want Donny 'cause he's the only who knows how to use April's blood to create that cure," Casey added. "We can't let him or April go anyplace by themselves or together."

"Agreed," Leo said.

Don wasn't sure what upset him the most; that alone time with April was going to be almost impossible now, or that Casey was the one who'd made the suggestion.


	20. 20 Fortitude

100 Theme Challenge  
20. Fortitude

Disgruntled was probably the mildest word Don could come up with for the way he was feeling.

He was just beginning to put his relationship with April back together again and now, thanks to Casey's big mouth, spending quality time with her was going to be difficult.

On top of that, thanks to Don's own bright idea, Casey was bedded down in his lab. Since Don's number one priority was to perfect signal jamming devices for everyone to wear, he was stuck in the same room with the guy.

The area around Casey's leg wound had gotten swollen and turned an ugly reddish color; thin streaks of red radiating out in all directions. His fever had gotten fairly high a couple of times and Don had resorted to sponging cool water onto Casey's body.

Casey had stared up at him every time Don came over to minister to the youth, his eyes slightly glazed but his expression grateful. On one occasion it seemed that Casey wanted to tell him something, but the words all ran together and made no sense.

Although April had offered to help, Don didn't feel it was appropriate for her to be giving Casey a sponge bath. She had tried to argue with him that seeing a boy's chest wasn't going to do her irreparable damage, but for once Don was adamant. April might have continued to push the issue, but Don had offered to let her father make the final decision.

She wasn't highly pleased about that, but conceded the point. Fearing that he'd now placed himself into a bad light again, Don told her that Casey still needed to eat and would require help doing so. That seemed to placate her and April made it her mission to bring some food to Casey every couple of hours. The bonus was that she made sure that Don was eating as well.

Don had to admit that Casey had a great deal of fortitude; no matter had badly he might be feeling he accepted Don's ministrations without a complaint. After many long hours, a lot of medicine, and hands on care, Casey was starting to look better.

None of that lessened Don's peevishness at the moment. In the last couple of days he'd had no time alone with April; even with Casey sound asleep on the other side of the lab his presence still loomed over their conversations.

April had finished giving Casey his dinner a bit earlier while Don was sitting at his work table surrounded by components small enough to require the use of tweezers. Don knew Casey had eaten because April hadn't fussed at him. After she'd gone, silence had fallen on the lab and Don supposed that Casey was asleep.

That was why he jumped when Casey said, "Hey Donnie, can I talk to ya' for a minute?"

Carefully setting aside his tools, Don hopped off his stool and walked over to Casey's makeshift bed, squatting down next to it.

"Are you okay? Do you need something?" Don asked worriedly.

"Yeah I do and I hate asking ya'," Casey said, looking up at the turtle. "I'd leave it but it's important. It's about my Ma."

"Your Ma? Oh, your mother," Don said. "I'm so sorry Casey! I didn't even think about how your family might be worrying about you."

Casey lifted a hand to stop Don's apology. "Don't sweat it pal. Ma and I have an easygoing kind of relationship. She works two or three jobs; I go to school and do my neighborhood watch thing, so we don't see each other a lot. Most weeks we might spot each other in passing a couple times. We got this thing we do though, just to ease our minds that we're both okay. We leave notes on the fridge for each other."

His face turned a little red when he said that and Donnie felt himself smiling in response. It was obvious that Casey cared about his mother and seeing this softer side of the boy's personality was enlightening.

"You really shouldn't attempt to go anywhere yet," Don reminded him. "Trying to walk on that leg isn't such a good idea."

"I already figured that out for myself," Casey said. "What would I wear anyway? My shirts are burned up and my jeans have a big hole in them. I can't borrow anything from Mr. O'Neil. If Ma happens to be home when I come in, I don't want her to see me half naked or wearing some grown man's clothes. That would freak her right out."

Don nodded. "I see your point. What do you need me to do?"

"Somebody has got to get into my apartment, go to my room and get me some fresh clothes," Casey said. "They've gotta leave a note on the fridge for Ma so she doesn't start to worry. I figured since you're a ninja, ya' could easily pull that off without being seen."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Don said, "You're forgetting one thing; I'm not supposed to go anywhere alone."

"Yeah, I know," Casey acknowledged. "That's why I figured Raph could go with ya'. He knows where my place is."

Don opened his mouth and then closed it before his protest could slip out. There was no way he was going to bring up the difficulties he and Raph had been having, since Casey was apparently at the center of that problem.

The look on Casey's face was almost pleading and Don wondered what crazy stunt the guy would pull if Don refused.

Even while he was trying to think of an alternative solution, Don's mouth opened and he blurted out, "Okay, we'll do it."

Casey's broad smile didn't erase the unease Don felt at having to ask Raph for his help.


	21. 21 Vacation

100 Theme Challenge  
21. Vacation

The sound of the pinball machine drew Don directly to where he could find Raphael.

From the corner of his eye he could see Leo seated on the floor in front of the television and Mikey sprawled upside down on the couch, an open comic book in front of his face. With a fervent wish that both of them would stay where they were, he went over to stand next to the backbox.

"Hey," Don said cautiously, watching Raph's facial expressions closely.

"Back at you," Raph said without looking up. His body rocked from side to side as he practically punched the flipper buttons.

"Good score," Don said, peeking at the number on the display panel.

"Blasted past Leo's best ten minutes ago," Raph said with a satisfied smirk.

Don breathed an inward sigh of relief. Beating Leo at anything always put the hot head in a better frame of mind.

He waited a couple of minutes, his eyes more on Raph's face than on the game. Finally Don said, "So, um, I need you to help me with something."

"Grab Mikey or Leo, they ain't doing anything," Raph said with only a hint of aggravation. "Better yet, just go drag Leo away from that brain rotting show he's stuck on."

"I can't," Don said. "It has to be you and it sort of needs to be a secret."

That got Raph's attention. He looked up at Don, losing his pinball in the process. The sound made his head jerk down, his lips tightening when he saw his game was over.

"This better be good Einstein," Raph said, his tone menacing.

"Casey said he's been gone from home for too long and his mom's going to start worrying about him," Don said in a rush. "He can't go running around yet and anyway he doesn't want her to know he's hurt, which she'd see if he went home."

"So tell him to call her," Raph said. "How hard was that to figure out?"

"He also needs some clothes," Don explained. "His own clothes, so his mom doesn't start asking questions when she does see him."

"What am I supposed to do about that, play fetch?" Raph asked, starting to get belligerent.

"Yes, sort of," Don said. "I mean, he told me what to get and where to find things, but he says you know where his room is and how to get inside without being seen. I've got to have someone watch my shell since I'm not supposed to go anywhere alone."

Raph had begun to look like he was going to say no, but at the words 'watch my shell' his eyes started to gleam instead.

"I guess that's better than sitting around here all night," Raph said in an off-hand manner.

"Straight there and back," Don reminded him. "We don't know how many spies the Kraang have created and I've only got the one signal jamming device."

"Yeah, yeah, no fights, no fun," Raph said impatiently. "How are we gonna sneak out of here?"

"Through the side door in my lab," Don said. "Everyone will think you're paying Casey a visit and that I'm still working on making more signal jammers. Casey said he'll cover for us."

Raph stared at him, his expression flat. "'Casey said this, Casey asked that'," he said in a mocking tone. "You're getting kind of tight there with _my_ friend, ain't you Donnie?"

Don's eyes widened and he glanced over at his other brothers to make sure they hadn't heard Raph's slightly elevated voice. Neither of them was looking in their direction.

"The guy's in my lab where I'm working," Don answered, being distinctly clear. "He woke up worried about his mother and since I was the only one in the room, I was the one he talked to about it. If you want him to ask you things, then I suggest you come in there and give him his sponge baths. It isn't as though taking care of him is a vacation."

"Okay, don't get your shell in a bunch," Raph said, looking over at Master Splinter's door.

Don knew exactly what he was thinking; their father would sense any discord between them and come out to see what was wrong. That would be the end of their excursion.

"It's dark enough to go out now," Don said in a lower voice. "Let's get it over with."

"Fine by me," Raph said. "We can finish our talk once we're out of here."

Raph stepped away from the pinball machine and crossed the lair with Don, both of them behaving as normally as possible. As they were passing through the lab door, Donnie thought he caught a glimpse of some movement by his younger brother. When he looked back though, Mikey was in exactly the same position as before.

Casey was dozing when they came in but his eyes snapped open as soon as the brother's drew near.

"Don told me what you needed," Raph said. "We're gonna go take care of that right now."

"Thanks pal," Casey told him. "Don't get into anything without me."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Raph said with a grin.

Casey lifted a hand towards Don, a folded piece of paper between his fingers. "Here, put this under a magnet on the fridge door. It'll keep Ma off my case for a couple of days."

Don took the note and tucked it into his belt. "If anyone comes in and sees we aren't here, tell them we took a walk along the tracks to look for a loose rail."

"No problem," Casey said.

Raph preceded Don out of the side door. When Don turned to push the door closed behind them, he saw April come into the lab and Casey lift his hand in greeting.

It was then Don wondered if he was falling for an elaborate trick designed to get him out of the way.


	22. 22 Mother Nature

100 Theme Challenge  
22. Mother Nature

Don only had a vague idea of where they were going, but Raph leaped from roof to roof with practiced ease.

The area they were in was an older part of the city filled with apartment complexes and tenements that had seen better days. Normally there would have been a lot of kids out on the steps or in the streets, but clouds had started to move in and the smell of rain was in the air.

Raph hadn't said a word since leaving the lair and Don was just fine with that. He had other things to think about, such as the scene he had witnessed as he was leaving the lair.

In some ways, it didn't make sense. Casey was, as far as Don could tell, a pretty straight forward person. He always said what he thought, even if it meant a punch from Raph or a tongue lashing from April. The punches he returned and in a war of words he could certainly take care of himself.

Don thought that if Casey wanted a private conversation with April, he would just ask Don to leave the room. As far as Don knew, Casey thought that Don and April were only friends. Heck, Donnie had told Casey that himself.

As much as Don hated to go there, he had to ask himself if it was possible that April had set up this situation. She spent a lot of time with Casey when she was feeding him, surely she would have thought to ask about his mother. Having advanced knowledge that Casey would ask Don to go get his things, all April would need to do was watch for when Don and Raph went somewhere together.

Maybe it didn't mean anything, Don told himself. Maybe she was just checking on Casey like she'd been doing and it was just a coincidence that she walked in as Don and Raph were leaving. Maybe . . . .

"We're here," Raph said in a low voice.

Here was an eight floor walkup bordered on two sides by shorter buildings and behind by the blank brick wall of a cleaning supply company. It was the perfect location to live for a guy who played vigilante by night and didn't want to be seen coming and going.

"Which one is Casey's?" Don asked.

"Top corner there," Raph answered, pointing to a window below them. "Come on; there's no light showing from inside, so his mom isn't home yet."

Don hopped off the roof, following Raph onto the fire escape. While Raph slid the window open, Don kept a lookout. It wouldn't do for one of the adjoining neighbors to come out for a look at the sky and see a couple of breaking and entering mutants instead.

As Don stepped over the sill behind Raph, his brother was turning on a small bedside lamp for them to see by. At first glance, Don thought he'd somehow walked into Mikey's room instead of Casey's.

There were fight posters, movie posters, and band posters covering almost every square inch of his walls. The floor was strewn with clothes, model car parts, bicycle parts, and a bunch of free weights. There were food wrappers and boxes on top of Casey's bedside table and his desk, a beat up desk top computer sandwiched between the junk.

Raph came over and nudged Don, snapping him out of his perusal. "What are we supposed to get?"

"He told me where to find his clean clothes and a couple of books he needs for school. He said we should make some room in his backpack for the stuff, " Don said.

"Got the backpack," Raph said, hauling the battered pack out from under Casey's bed.

He proceeded to unzip the pack and upturn the contents onto the bed, shaking it for good measure to make sure everything was out.

Don shot him a dark look. "You aren't just going to leave that mess lying there, are you?"

"Look around the room, Donnie," Raph said, waving his hand for emphasis. "If I leave this stuff in a pretty pile on Casey's desk his mom is going to know someone besides Casey was in here. Casey is never neat."

"You know him pretty well, huh?" Don asked, grabbing a couple of shirts, sweatshirts, and jeans off hangers in Casey's closet before rummaging in a small chest of drawers for clean underwear and socks.

"Yeah, I know him," Raph said. "Question is, how well are you trying to know him?"

"I'm not," Don said emphatically, handing the clothes to Raph, who stuffed them unceremoniously into the pack. "In case you hadn't noticed, he attached himself to me like a leech. If it bothers you, why don't you get him to tell you what he wants so I can make it for him and get him off my back?"

"You're so full of . . . ." Raph began when a sound stopped him mid-sentence.

The front door of the apartment slammed shut and Don darted over to turn the light off. Grabbing the backpack, Raph shoved Don towards the closet.

It was a tight fit but they made it and even managed to shut the door. In another second they heard the television come on.

"I still have to leave Casey's note on the refrigerator," Don whispered.

"You should have done that first," Raph whispered back. "Maybe we'll catch a break and she'll go take a shower or something."

Through the slats in the door, Don saw a flash of lightening brighten the bedroom. It was followed quickly by a boom of thunder loud enough to shake the pane of window glass.

Don had his doubts about them having any kind of luck tonight, considering that even Mother Nature seemed to be conspiring against them.


	23. 23 Cat

100 Theme Challenge  
23. Cat

Don listened carefully to the sounds coming from the other room. He didn't know the layout of the apartment but from what he'd heard so far, the person he assumed was Casey's mother was still in the room where the television was located.

"Where's the kitchen?" Don asked.

"Out the door, past the bathroom and on your right," Raph answered in a low voice. "I guess your new pal didn't get a chance to bring you here yet."

Despite their predicament, Don found that Raph's obstinance was starting to grate on his nerves. "What is your problem?" Don hissed at him.

He felt Raph shift in the closet so that he was facing Don. The lightening flashed again, highlighting the gleam in Raph's green eyes.

"You are," Raph answered, his voice a low growl. "All this stuff about how Casey's hanging off your shell just to get you to build something for him. Could be the truth is you're dangling your fancy tecno gizmos in front of his nose just so he'll pay attention to you. Seems like every time he tells me he's coming by I find him with you."

"And what exactly is my diabolical motive for having Casey under my feet all of the time?" Don asked. "Just because he knows the difference between a wrench and a screwdriver doesn't mean I've put out the welcome mat for him."

"Don't think I haven't noticed April giving him the eye," Raph said. "You figure he's trying to get with her and if you grab him as soon as he shows up, then he won't have a chance to make his play."

"That's absurd," Don whispered, his voice shaking with anger. "First off, April is not giving him the eye. Secondly, your observation skills need some work, because I do not grab him when he shows up. He comes looking for me. Third, if you really thought that April was interested in him then she's the one who would be monopolizing Casey's time, not me. Why am I the one you're ragging on?"

"There's a difference between some girl trying to hook up with Casey and having him carted off by my own brother," Raph said. "I'm not worried about her motives but I should be able to trust you."

"For the last time, I don't have any motives," Don said, his voice slightly raised. "I can't believe you're acting so jealous about Casey's time anyway. Have you stopped to think he might be trying to get close to April through me?"

Raph snorted humorlessly. "You really don't know him do you? Just because _you_ think he's after April doesn't mean that he really is. Casey's . . . ."

He stopped mid-sentence, a bolt of lightning revealing that his head was cocked to the side as though he was listening to something. Thunder rolled overhead, vibrating the apartment and as it faded, Don heard the bedroom door creak open.

Pressing themselves as far into the corners of the closet as they could, Don and Raph held their breath as Casey's mother stepped into the room. She flipped on the lights and glanced at her son's bed, a small frown on her face.

Don's eyes were glued to her as she walked across the room, passing just in front of the closet. They had left Casey's window partially open and she went directly to it, pushing it wide and then leaning partway over the sill.

A second later they heard her talking to someone and Don glanced over at Raph. His brother was watching the woman, seemingly unperturbed by her display.

The conversation didn't last long. Casey's mother backed a few feet away from the window and then stopped, her body language denoting expectancy. Lightning flashed again, followed almost immediately by thunder, and a large white cat bounded into the room.

Striding past the cat, Casey's mother quickly closed the window and grabbed the animal before it could rub against her pant legs.

"You are a filthy, wet mess," she scolded the cat, holding it away from her body. Heading out of Casey's room, she said, "Let's get you cleaned up before you get paw prints everywhere."

As soon as they heard her go into the bathroom, the pair of turtles practically tumbled out of the closet.

"Leave the note while she's busy with the cat," Raph whispered hastily, "then let's get out of here."

"Did you see what she was wearing?" Don asked, his eyes wide.

Raph hefted Casey's backpack over his shoulder. "One of those Kraang necklaces. Casey is not gonna be happy about this. Hurry up; she has to see that note now so the Kraang don't think he's with us."

Don moved silently over to the door, which was still half open. From his vantage point, he could see the door to the bathroom and was happy to note that it was closed. Reaching over, he turned out the bedroom light and then slid into the hall.

Keeping his eyes peeled on the sliver of light shining from beneath the bathroom door, Don began to tiptoe past it on his way to the kitchen.

A gigantic clap of thunder made Don nearly jump out of his shell and then all of the lights went out.

"Oh crap!" Casey's mom yelled and yanked the bathroom door open.


	24. 24 No Time

100 Theme Challenge  
24. No Time

There was no time for any fancy maneuvers. Casey's mom was two steps away from walking right into Don and the growling cat in her arms would give him away if he darted into one of the other rooms.

Taking advantage of his long arms and legs, Don jumped as high as he could, flinging his feet up against the wall in back of him. Lunging forward as he jumped, Don's hands touched the wall in front of him and he braced himself.

Splayed out several feet above the woman, Don watched Casey's mother walk a little ways towards the living room and then stop with a curse when her elbow collided with the wall. The cat started to growl louder, its eyes focused on Don hanging above them.

It must have started to struggle because Casey's mother said, "Stop that! Damn it cat!"

Turning, she made her way back to the bathroom, muttering under her breath about flashlights as the door closed behind her.

In an instant Don dropped from the ceiling and fled towards the kitchen. As Casey had instructed, he placed the note under one of the magnets on the fridge, the darkness no deterrent to a turtle who'd spent his life underground.

He was about to leave when he noticed an envelope addressed to Casey stuck beneath another of the myriad of magnets on the refrigerator. Grabbing it quickly, Don darted back towards Casey's bedroom, passing the bathroom where a triumphant shout and an arc of light shining from beneath the door told Don that Casey's mom had found a flashlight.

Raph was standing near the window waiting for him, Casey's backpack over his shoulder and a hand on the window frame.

"Are you done?" Raph asked.

"Yes. Hurry, his mom has a flashlight," Don whispered urgently.

Flinging the window wide, Raph vaulted out onto the fire escape. Don climbed through behind him and slid the window shut just as a beam of light flashed across the glass.

Jerking backwards to avoid being seen, Don saw Raph signal for him to go up. A fast lunge took him over the roof's edge just as Casey's mom opened the window and looked down.

"Casey?" she called.

After a second she shook her head and glanced up. Don and Raph ducked out of sight until they heard the window slam shut and then chanced a look down to see that she had gone back inside the apartment.

The flash of lightening overhead reminded the pair that being so high up during a storm was a seriously bad idea. By the time the next rumble of thunder had faded they were two buildings away and climbing down to an alley.

Don felt that his luck might be changing somewhat since it had yet to start raining. That was until he heard Raph mutter unhappily beneath his breath.

"What's wrong?" Don asked.

"There's no manhole here," Raph told him.

"You know the area," Don said. "How far do we have to go?"

"Couple blocks to the closest one, but it's in the middle of the street," Raph answered. "Five blocks to one that's in an alley."

"There are still people out," Don said, wishing he could take back his thanks for the lack of rain.

"You're the smart one, what are the odds we'll get hit by lightning if we go back to the roofs?" Raph barked, the question obviously rhetorical.

"Why don't you stop snapping at me until we get back home?" Don suggested with exasperation. "If I had known you were so possessive of your friend I would have avoided him completely."

"It ain't too late to start," Raph retorted peevishly. Looking around the corner of the building they were pressed against, he added, "Come on, we're gonna try for the one in the street. People are starting to go inside so we got a good chance of not being seen. Stay out of the light and stop moving when you see someone coming."

Don didn't bother to point out that Raph was stating the obvious. It was clear his brother was just as uneasy with the situation as he was.

Sliding onto the sidewalk, Raph and Don crept along in the shadows that were just outside of the spill of light coming from the street lamps. Whatever had caused the power outage at the Jones' apartment hadn't affected the block they were traversing and they had to take care each time they passed beneath a lighted window.

They had a little over a block to go when a bright flash of lighting lit up the entire block, catching them in its brilliance.

On the opposite side of the street, a man halted in mid-step and stared. Before either of the turtles could move, the man lifted his hand and pointed directly at them.

An unholy howl escaped his wide open mouth, the sound chilling Don down to his very bones. It was like a scene directly out the horror movie Mikey had mentioned and it became worse when an answering yell echoed from farther down the street.

"He's wearing a Kraang necklace!" Raph shouted.

"I can see that!" Don exclaimed, shoving at Raph's shoulder. "My watch is probably jamming the signal, but they've been programmed to scream like that if they see us!"

Raph was already running with Don right on his heels. "There goes another one! It's like a damn relay system!"

"The Kraang are going to hear it and come straight here!" Don yelled. "Can we get to the manhole?"

"There's no time," Raph said, changing direction. "They're between us and that entrance. We've got to go for the alley. Let's hope that screaming isn't as fast as a police radio."

The red banded turtle laughed as he said that and Don couldn't help but admire his brother's ability to find humor in the situation.

Too bad Raph was the only one who did.


End file.
